Bloodstained Heart
by srslyeffnawsum
Summary: On the anniversary of his mother's death, Chihiro visits where his mother met her end. There he witnesses a fatal motorcycle accident and not wanting the surviving companion to feel alone, Chihiro befriends Mondo. Together they learn to accept the tragic losses in their life and realize they aren't the terrible people they grew up to believe they are.


**Author's Note:** What am I doing? Starting another story when I have already got one going? Well, I had this idea in my head and didn't want to wait to start it because otherwise I would never write it. Hopefully I can keep up with two stories at once. This one is on the sad side… but hey, with the sadness brings comfort, right? Oh, it's somewhat an AU. They have similar problems to the show, but nothing about the high school and all that jazz.

**Title:** Bloodstained Heart

**Rating:** T for violence, death/suicide, and language.

**Chapter One**

A calm, gloomy night. Quiet with the moon hanging high amongst the stars. Clouds were rolling in, silently threatening rainfall later in the night. With a heavy sigh, a young boy drew his attention away from the stars as he dug the matchbox from his pocket. Littered around his feet was an array of candles and flowers, posed in a particular pattern around a picture. Beneath this over pass, the little memory marker was safe. Only fools would wander beneath this pass. Fools and those looking to die. Kneeling down, he struck the side of the box with the match, watching the flame erupt on the red tip. He sniffled loudly, carefully lighting each and every candle before sitting down against the grass beneath the overpass. He leaned back against the concrete structure, staring at the cars as they whipped by. It had been six years, but it hadn't gotten any easier.

Staring at his feet, he attempted to concentrate on the figures in the picture through teary eyes. A mother, a father, and a little boy no older than two. They looked like such a happy family, the mother with a beautiful smile gracing her face as she stared at her child in admiration. The same child that she grew to despise as time when on. The child that caused her to come to this overpass on a dark, rainy night six years ago. One step into the street and her life was taken by an eighteen wheeler, her body so mangled that it was nearly impossible to identify her. But Chihiro's father knew. He knew that was his wife on the scene of the death.

The blonde covered his face with his palm, listening to the sound of vehicles flashing by. Since her death, he made it a custom to visit this site every year on the anniversary of her suicide. He thought that maybe coming here would give him some closure, considering he blamed himself for her decision. But it never got easier. He never got answers. It was just another horrible reminder of how much his mother hated him. "I love you, mama," he muttered to no one, nudging the picture slightly with his foot before looking down the way as a pair of noisy motorcycles headed in his direction.

He stared at the pair of lights off in the distance, wondering how his mother could bring herself to step in front of a moving vehicle like that. Initially he thought maybe she had slipped beneath the overpass, at the grass had been slick because of the rain, but as he got older and the years passed on, he made himself believe it was suicide. She always wanted out of her home. She always fought with Chihiro's father, and always yelled at Chihiro himself. She was ashamed of him, thought she raised her boy better.

The engines of the motorcycles revved loudly, growing ever closer to the overpass and the boy narrowed his eyes, wiping the tears from beneath them. They were going awfully fast, much faster than the speed limit allowed. And the one in the lead was dangerously weaving through traffic, desperately trying to stay ahead of the other. He watched intently as he brought himself to his feet, pressing his back against the concrete of the overpass. Up at the top of the hill, he was the safest assuming neither of them went off course and zipped to the top of the grass.

Suddenly, from his left came the loud horn of an eighteen wheeler, its light filling up the overpass as it roared through the small tunnel. In a split second, Chihiro witnessed another tragic accident. The lead motorcyclist attempted to slam on his brakes in horror when he realized he was headed directly into the grill of that truck. But before the deadly smash hit his bike, his fellow cyclist zipped beside him, knocking the lead bike to the side of the road.

The man who was once in the lead came to a heavy crash in the grass beside the road, looking up just in time to watch his fellow biker collide with the front of the eighteen wheeler, his bike violently thrown down the street and his body landing heavy against the concrete. The truck barreled through, slowing down somewhere down the road. Chihiro stood horrified with his back pressed against the wall as the man in the grass began to scream with all the might in his voice, running out into the road to collect his fellow man from the pavement. "Oh my… oh god," the blonde mumbled beneath his breath, pressing a trembling hand against his lips. He stood frozen, unsure if this were some cruel dream. Is this what his mother's death looked like?

The man's scream in the street was enough to shake him down to his bones. Traffic around them came to a stop, people getting out of their vehicles to survey the accident. Slowly, Chihiro slid down the grass until he was also in the street, gathering slowly around in the pair in the middle of the street. A young man, not much older than himself, kneeled cradling the body of his fallen comrade, blood staining the sleeves and front of his long jacket. The man in his arms wore a similar jacket, but Chihiro couldn't bear to look at him for too long without feeling sick. His bones had been broken, face busted, and he was barely holding on to whatever second he had left of his life. He was speaking, or attempting to speak, but the words were drowned by the curdling cries coming from the man holding him.

"Someone call for help," a passerby muttered and Chihiro turned around, unable to look at the scene anymore. Not only were the two a bloody mess, but seeing them sprawled on that pavement only sent chills through his body, wondering if this is what his father had to look at when identifying his mother. Chihiro had never seen her personally after the accident, too scared to visit her body at the funeral. Too ashamed at what he had caused. He pressed his hands against his stomach, pushing through a few people to get to the payphone across the way at a nearby shop. Unlike now, when his mother died, apparently it was instant death upon contact. Maybe he could be saved.

Dashing down the street, he pulled himself beneath the small awning of the phone stand, raining and tears dripping down his cheeks. He ripped the phone from the hook, pressing it to his ear as he rapidly dialed the emergency number. The operator picked up, and through shaking breaths, Chihiro explained where they were and what had happened. The entire time, he glanced over his shoulder, his vision quickly becoming guarded by mobs of people and stopped cars. At least he couldn't hear the man screaming anymore over the sound of the rain and horns.

The phone call ended and Chihiro forcefully hung up the phone, considering grabbing his bike and heading back home. He had done all he could at this point and standing amongst the crowd and gawking at the accident wasn't going to help. The prayer to his mother would have to be canceled tonight, and he had a feeling that coming back here from now on would be even more difficult, knowing another life may be taken here. He pressed a hand against his unsteady heart, startled by the sound of the sirens in the distance.

The ambulances whipped around the corner, followed by a few police cars and people began scattering back to their vehicles and to the side of the road. Standing beneath the store front, Chihiro crossed his arms over his chest, the cold of the rain soaking into his clothes. Now that everyone had parted ways, there was a clear view to the injured companions in the middle of the road. Blood spilled into the streets, the rain scattering it over the pavement as the less mangled man cowered over the other body, his strong arms wrapped around him as he sobbed through the rain. His cries were loud and ferocious, and Chihiro made the connection that perhaps they were related or best friends. He sobbed like they had known one another for years.

The emergency crew stepped out of their vehicles and actively attempted to pry the man from the most likely dead biker's body, but he defiantly kept his grip, not wanting to let go of the last seconds he held with his relative. Eventually it got to the point where the police had to get involved, thrusting the lively biker away from his friend, sitting him down on the ground to check out his wounds. He watched as his companion was placed carefully on a stretcher, heaved into the back of the ambulance.

Chihiro lowered his head, knowing he was no longer needed here. He hastily began running down the side of the street towards the little memorial for his mother, which had been scattered thanks to rain and wind. The picture and candles had slid down to the base of the hill, damaged in a puddle of rain water. He jerked his bike to a stand before collecting the photo from the rain, carefully tucking it in his jacket pocket. Throwing his leg over the side of his bike, he prepared to ride home but not before catching a glance at the man left in the middle of the street, surrounded by a few emergency units.

They ran a flashlight in his face while one tended to his damaged wrist, and police surveyed the road and pulled the damaged bikes from the street. The one screaming, enraged man was now incredibly tranquil, staring blankly ahead of him. The shock of losing someone so close had hit him and all he could do was stare. Any questions being thrown in his way remained unanswered and he just sat, the rain pouring over his body, the blood dispersing from his clothing. Chihiro stared, whimpering out his bottom lip for a moment. It reminded him of his father after he went to identify his mother.

Just as he was about to push away on his bike, the blonde noticed the broken man staring at him with fading violet eyes. They looked so sad, so lost, and deep down, extremely angry. Chihiro sucked in a breath and held it, his foot propped against the ground to keep his bike upright. It was a look his father gave often. Letting his breath go, he finally kicked off and began peddling home. He knew the man in the ambulance was probably unsalvageable. He just hoped the other one didn't go on to blame himself they way Chihiro did for his mother's death.


End file.
